So we've made it to 39 weeks and our baby is still happily baking inside of me. It seems that this baby girl is in no rush to join this world, much like her older sister! Natasha was born at exactly 41 weeks, and Matthew jokes that the reason her skin colour is a few shades darker than anyone else in our family, is because...well... she burned a little, having been baking an entire week past her due date! =) My last appointment on Thursday was pretty uneventful - my OB checked the baby's heartbeat and measured my belly; the nurse took my blood pressure and weight, both of which were normal. I am going again next Thursday, but secretly hoping I won't make it to my next appointment! Of course, only time will tell.

Here's a recent belly pic (38.5 weeks). This is pretty much as big as I'll get!

14 days to my due date... where did the time go?

There is a 'myth' our there which says that labour & delivery floors in hospitals are always completely full on Fridays when there is a full moon. And this 'myth' is not entirely a myth because there was actually a study done on this, and apparently many hospitals claim it's true, as do many L&D doctors and nurses. It has something to do with 'pulling' of the amniotic fluid, but I am not entirely sure. Anyway, yesterday was a Friday with a full moon, but I guess this myth did not work for us. I am still very much so pregnant without any labour signs or symptoms.

We've had our 3rd and final stroller delivered on Thursday afternoon from Sears. We got a convenience stroller for Natasha because I dislike the simple $30 umbrella strollers. They require me to walk with my back kind-of hunched over and it's not comfortable. So we got a stroller that folds just like an umbrella one, but it's much higher and sturdier - Graco® IPO Convenience Stroller. And today we took it out for a test-walk, and it's super comfortable! Natasha also didn't complain. Our living room is beginning to look a little like a garage with all the strollers, so we might fold one or two and put them into the closet. I have to give credit to Sears.ca for their awesome delivery windows - they allow you to pick a day and time-frame for their major products so you don't have to sit at home for an entire week waiting for your purchase to arrive. And their delivery charge is only about $12 which is very cheap, in my opinion.

My hospital bag is packed and ready to go. It's actually very difficult to pack a hospital bag because you never know what size clothing you'll wear only a few days postpartum. Some women go into their pre-pregnancy clothes right off, but for others it takes time to fit into those again. I took some of each. And I've also packed our baby's going-home outfit, which is the same one Natasha wore home, along with some newborn onesies, sleepers, socks, hats, and blankets. We're pretty much set, so now it all depends on the baby!

So I finally had my 37.5 week appointment and ultrasound today and was relieved to find out our baby is no longer breech!

The appointment itself was very brief - my regular ob/gyn that I see is on a 3-week vacation and so I had to see another ob/gyn from the same office. Well, the one who saw me today obviously doesn't know me, and although he had my personal file on-hand, had absolutely no idea I even needed an ultrasound. So he started the appointment off by tracking the baby's heartbeat with his doppler and then measuring my uterus. After that, he kind of started heading towards the door and I had to quickly stop him and enquire about our breech baby. Duh. So he realized what I was saying about the necessary ultrasound was really important and asked the nurse to wheel-in the mini-ultrasound machine. He then did a quick scan, and soon enough pointed his finger towards a "white halo" at the bottom of my belly and told me that's the baby's head. He said our baby is no longer breech! So that was an exciting ending to the otherwise dull appointment.

With that behind us, all we can do now is wait for something to 'start' within the next 2-3 weeks. Oh, the waiting, the waiting...

So I've been trying to get everything ready for our baby's arrival since we only have some 20+ days left. I think Matthew thinks it's a bit too early, but I figure that just because Natasha was a week overdue, doesn't mean that this baby will be as well. And realistically speaking, she could arrive any day now and I really don't want to be worrying about necessities at the last minute or worse, when she's already home. So I've been doing some organizing and ensuring she has all her clothes ready, a pack of newborn size diapers, bottles, pacifiers, and so on.

We ended up ordering a beautiful bassinet for her from Sears - Elfe Newborn Bassinet. With Natasha we used the bassinet part of a Graco pack-n-play, and as practical and useful as it was, it also took tons of room near our bed which made it very difficult to move around it. This bassinet takes a lot less room and has wheels so we could move into the living room if we needed to. Its' weight limit is 18lbs so I think the baby will be able to use it for at least few months. I've already filled the storage basket underneath with newborn diapers, burp clothes, and wipes.

We've also purchased a double stroller from Sears, which we refer to as "Natasha's Limousine".  It's actually pretty neat and has a huge storage basket underneath. The wheels are pretty large, it's lightweight, and can also be folded to fit into a trunk of a car (not that we have a car, but it's a neat feature). The front seat reclines in 2-positions, and the back in 4 positions, which is important so that a newborn can go from laying down to gradually sitting up. Graco DuoGliderTM LXI Stroller is the stroller we got. Natasha had fun trying it out, but she was slightly scared at first.

Oh, and just for fun - here's a comparison of a newborn size Pampers diaper, versus a size 4 one (Natasha's current size). Natasha loves her Pampers diapers because they have Elmo pictures on them, and at every diaper changes she points to them and goes, "Elvooooo!" (yep, she's working on the "m" sound).

We also need to purchase a separate stroller for Natasha to use during the spring and summer months, and we're considering the Graco IPO Convenience Stroller. We need to research more but it seems to be what we're looking for. So much to do - so little time!

*sigh*

I waited close to 17 weeks to have my 3rd-trimester Ultrasound done to see whether my low-laying placenta has moved up. Well, yesterday was the date of my scan, and the good news is that it has indeed moved up. It's now completely out of the danger zone and does not interfere with the baby's exit way whatsoever. If the placenta was still laying low, then I might have had to go through a scheduled c-section sometime towards the end of my pregnancy.

Well after hearing these relieving news, I went to see my OB in his office. He checked my Ultrasound report and confirmed the above once again, but then told me the baby has flipped. Yes, our little girl is now breech. How exciting, huh? Now, why would she be head-down all through the pregnancy and then flip upside-down sometime in the past two weeks??? I don't know. But this complicates things and might guarantee me a c-section once again.

My OB indicated they'll do another mini-scan at my next appointment (37.5 weeks) to see if the baby has flipped into the correct position or is still breech. If she's still breech, then I'll have to consider my two options. One is an external version where I'll be taken to the hospital and my OB will try to manually flip the baby from the outside. Honestly speaking, I am not even considering this. Manual versions are extremely risky and could potentially harm the baby. They also work in only 50% of the cases, and there is nothing to guarantee the baby won't flip right back. My OB also told me that in 5% of the cases, the baby goes into an extreme stress-mode during the version, which would result in me having an emergency c-section right there and then. Oh, and did I mention it's also extremely painful?

So with that being said, I am not considering the above at all. Which then brings me to my second option - the scheduled c-section. The c-section would be scheduled for either my due-date of April 5th or a 1-2 days afterwards. The reason being is that our little girl is happy and healthy, and my OB indicated there is simply no reason for her to be born before I hit 40 weeks. And if I go into labour before that date, then I will make my way to the hospital where another mini-scan will be performed. In the case that I'm still breech, they'll wheel me to the operating room, and if by some miracle the baby's head-down, then I will continue labouring normally.

So right now we're just waiting for my next appointment to check on the baby's position. Keep your fingers crossed she'll flip!

So it's almost March now meaning we have a little over a month until our due date. And for some odd reason Matthew is convinced this little one will be arriving early, but considering Natasha was a whole week overdue, I highly doubt that. But I suppose only time will tell. The baby's definitely growing and I think she has very very little room left to move around, so each kick and move are very strong and almost painful right now. She moves several times a day and has hiccups at least twice daily. Oh, and Matthew also thinks this baby will be much bigger than Natasha who was 7 lbs 11 oz - ask him why he thinks that! I think she'll be around the same measurements as her older sister.

Anyway, this baby's wardrobe is all stocked up. She already has a huge princess-like wardrobe and she's not even born yet. We're still missing a double-stroller and will be probably ordering it very shortly. We chose one from Graco that seems to fit our needs, and Natasha will also be getting a new light-weight stroller to serve her through the spring and summer months. The baby will be using her Perego Venezia once she's born. Sometime early in March, we'll be transferring the playpen/bassinet into our bedroom and turning it from the playpen to a bassinet. We want to do this early so that Natasha gets used to it being there and not be wondering later why her play area is now occupied by some little stranger.

It's funny to think back to Natasha's newborn days. Matthew and I both completely do not remember what it's like dealing with a newborn. What was she doing all day long? I can't remember. It's going to be interesting to be going through it all once again, and I'm sure it will come back to us once it actually happens.

My OB appointments have now become bi-weekly instead of monthly which only shows how quickly my due-date is approaching. Today's appointment was as uneventful as ever, but they say no-news is good-news, right? My weight gain, blood pressure, and growth are all measuring on track, and the baby is currently positioned head down (hopefully she won't decide to flip last minute!). I got to hear the heartbeat which was pretty fast; my OB never fails in finding the heartbeat within some 2-3 seconds which is pretty impressive if you're asking me.

I have finally booked my next ultrasound for 35-weeks on March 6, 2008. It will determine whether my placenta is still laying low or whether it has hopefully moved up into the correct position. Most times it does, but it's important to confirm it with a scan. Worst case scenario with Placenta Previa is a scheduled c-section, so let's hope my placenta relocated itself and we won't need any of that. Keep your fingers crossed!

On a different note, the baby has been awfully active lately. Hiccups, in particular. I remember how Natasha had hiccups while inside me all the time, and when she was finally born, the hiccup routines were still very similar (every day, twice a day). So her little sister is following in her footsteps it seems. The kicks are becoming a lot stronger as the baby is getting bigger, but they're also not as jumpy as they used to be and I'm assuming it's because the baby's space to move around is becoming smaller and more limited. I go back in 2 weeks!

I realize I've been neglecting my blog for some time now, but mainly just got distracted with other things. We're 30 weeks pregnant today so there are only approximately 10 weeks left until my due-date of April 5th. It's crazy how fast time is flying. This stage is the "heavy stage" and it will only get heavier as the baby weighs close to 3lbs now and is getting bigger every single day. I've been feeling a lot of movement every day, and Matthew can now feel it too without any difficulty. Many days the baby would also break down in a session of hiccups that would continue for some 15 minutes; it's cute, but it's also very annoying! Heartburn kicked-in as well, along with the infamous Charlie's Horses. Heartburn I can tolerate but CH are the absolute worst - I hear eating bananas can boost up the potassium which can help reduce CH pains. I had them bad with Natasha as well, so it's not a surprise.

Besides this, we've been preparing Natasha's nursery for another "tenant". The new baby will not be sharing a room with her for the first few months, but we will still utilize the nursery furniture, such as the changing table. We've also bought an additional wardrobe from Home Depot so I can better organize the girls' many many outfits. And then we ended up purchasing a small bookcase for Natasha's growing book collection. So the room is way more organized now and looks a lot neater.

New Wardrobe

There are only 3 months left until our baby's due date of April 5th. It's hard to believe that we're already 6 months along and heading into the 3rd trimester. Things have been going well so far - I passed my one-hour Glucose Tolerance Test which was wonderful news, and the baby has been kicking pretty regularly (2-3 times every 24 hours). Matthew can feel her too, now. Sometime within the next 5 weeks I have to go through another Ultrasound session which is great because I'll get to see the baby once again, hopefully get a newer picture, and confirm the gender once again. But the main reason for this Ultrasound is to check whether my placenta has moved up since it was laying a bit too low in the 19-week screening. Most of the time it moves up on its own, but it's better to check just in case. So we'll get the result for this at the same time as well.

Besides this, I've organized all the newborn baby clothing we have this far. We got a lot of clothes handed-down from family and I've also kept some of Natasha's older items, and it was really strange to pull them out again; I even forgot some of them existed! It's also weird to look at them and wonder how in the world our 15-month old ever fit into them, they're just tiny! I went and organized them into 3 dresser drawers just to see how much space they'd take. Too much! So we ended up ordering an additional wardrobe from Home Depot to make room for everything that doesn't fit. That should arrive any day now.

Also, I think we've finalized a name for our baby girl (considering it really is a girl!) - her name will be Veronika, and she'll go by Nika. It's purely Matthew's choice, and although I like the name, I wanted to consider other options too. But Matthew's pretty much stuck on this name and is ready to beg me to name our daughter Veronika, so be it. Natasha's name was more-or-less my choice, so I have to let him have it. We haven't finalized any middle names, but we're considering either Claire or Elizabeth. The middle name is going to be my choice, so unless I see something better, it will be one of the above two. We also need to come up with a back-up name, just in case this baby turns out to be a boy; but... that would probably go back to Nathaniel.

Here are some pictures of the baby girl's clothes, all organized:

Drawer #1 - onesies, sleepers, socks

Drawer #2 - Sleepers, pajamas, full outfits

Drawer #3- Hats, bibs, pants, shirts

I am 22 weeks today, officially making me 5 months pregnant. It's funny because with my last pregnancy I wasn't showing nor wearing any maternity wear until exactly five months, yet this time I have been wearing mat clothes for three months already. Things are speeding along way faster this time. The baby is quite the kicker and kicks at least three times every 24 hours. It's not flatters any longer but little determined kicks. May winter jacket is getting really snug so I may need to look into something bigger for the following few months.

Natasha, at this age, is completely oblivious to this pregnancy and it's going to be quite the adjustment for her. But hopefully, since she's still so young, she won't remember what it was like being an only child and will adapt to her new little sibling. We'll have to carefully divide out attention between the two of them without Natasha feeling neglected as she's quite the little princess right now. But I am sure in the long run it will work out and they'll be able to eventually play together and keep each other company. Only four months left!